The New Generation of Hydrophobic Coating – DLC Dressed “Un-visible Raincoat”

When using an infrared thermal imager in a rain or fog environment outside, water usually accumulates on the surface of the lens. When the water accumulates to a certain extent, it seriously affects the transmittance of the lens, leading to a decrease in the imaging clarity, and not function normally. Therefore, improving the water resistance of the coating is one of key technical challenges in industry.

Diamond like Carbon Coating (DLC) is an amorphous carbon film with properties similar to diamond. It has excellent strong corrosion and friction resistance, as well as high transmittance in the infrared band. It is widely used in infrared security, temperature measurement, outdoor and other fields. However, there are high technical barriers to depositing hydrophobic coatings on the surface of DLC coatings, and few manufacturers in the industry have the ability to develop DLC-based hydrophobic coatings.

To further enhance the competitive advantage of DLC coatings, Sunny Infrared Optics Coating Team successfully broke through research of hydrophobic properties on DLC coating in June 2022, developing silicon- and germanium-based DLC hydrophobic coatings. With the hydrophobic coating, the contact angle can increase from 70° to over 110°, greatly improving the hydrophobic performance of DLC coatings and effectively extending the service life of the lens. This technological innovation has solved key challenges the adhesive between DLC coatings and hydrophobic coatings, greatly improving the overall reliability of the coating.

-Exquisite and cool appearance in a deep black color.

-Stable hydrophobic performance with a contact angle >110°.

-Robust environmental reliability, resistant to high temperatures, high humidity, salt fog, and stone chip test, etc.

Before coated with hydrophobic coating, contact angle & actual hydrophobic effect diagram of DLC Coating.

After coated with hydrophobic coating, contact angle & actual hydrophobic effect diagram of DLC Coating.

At present, DLC-based hydrophobic coatings have been scaled up and applied in various complex out-of-door applications such as security monitoring and vehicle night vision, and have received good market feedback. Sunny Infrared Optics will continue to lead the industry in technological innovation, promote the exploration of cutting-edge fields, and provide high-performance and more reliable thermal imaging lens solutions. Welcome to consult and communicate.